These resources are from over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
www.efdss.org/resourcebank
These resources are from over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
www.efdss.org/resourcebank
This document gives an indication of how folk and traditional music can help teachers enhance and deliver aspects of the National Curriculum for Music in England at Key Stage 2, and suggests a range of supporting resources created by folk artist-educators.
It gives details for Key Stage 2 Music Subject Contents:
Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
Use and understand staff and other musical notations
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
Develop an understanding of the history of music
This pack was devised by Carolyn Robson for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils, and brings together sea songs and shanties collected in and around Bristol.
This pack is the result of a partnership between The Full English learning programme and Bristol Sings Music who are using this pack with various primary schools in Bristol.
Accompanying audio recordings of all songs featured in the 'Sea Songs and Shanties' resource pack are available at: http://efdss.org/efdss-education/resource-bank/resources-and-teaching-tools/sea-songs-and-shanties-pack
Resource provided by the English Folk Dance and Song Society
A pack of seven folk songs, complete with notation and teaching notes for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 written and arranged by Bob Kenward.
Accompanying audio recordings of all songs featured in the 'Seven Songs of Harvest' resource pack are available at: www.efdss.org/resourcebank/resources-and-teaching-tools/seven-songs-of-harvest
Resource from the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
This resource by Jackie Oates introduces practitioners in Early Years settings to traditional English folk songs and aims to promote a sense of belonging for young children. Each song comes with a set of actions or games to encourage learning, music notation, and accompanying audio files. There are also videos of some of the songs that can be used as a guide or to sing along with for in-person sessions.
Our Song is produced by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in collaboration with Hounslow Music Service and Croydon Music and Arts.
Funded by Youth Music.
For accompanying audio and video files, please go to: https://www.efdss.org/learning/resources/a-z/55-resources/learning-resources/10848-our-song
Note: It is common practice to update the words of folk songs as times, communities, and situations change – so do feel free to adapt them to suit the young people and context in which you teach. It is also common practice to change the key in which they are sung to suit voices and accompaniment. The beauty of folk songs is their flexibility and communal ownership - so enjoy making these your own!
As part of our mission to celebrate diversity and promote equality we have produced our first learning resource in celebration of Black History Month.
‘Black Sailors and Sea Shanties’ introduces learners to sea shanties and explores the influence of black sailors on shanties. The resource provides arrangements of three shanties with extended learning activities, and is aimed at Key Stage 3 (age 11 and above). The pack also provides useful background information and discussion points to explore the meanings and interpretations of the songs.
Audio recordings are free to download and include: instrumentals, vocals, high parts, low parts, middle parts, percussion and full songs.
Please feel free to provide feedback on this resource - including the music - and let us know if you have found it useful.
This resource aims to introduce learners to folk songs using material from the rich and diverse collection made by James Madison Carpenter in England and Scotland in the period 1928 –1935.
It is designed to support learning from Key Stage 1–5 and reflects the many different types of song within the collection - from singing games suitable for younger children and as warm ups, to longer, more complex songs and ballads suitable for older students and more in-depth work.
For each song there are a range of suggested tasks and areas of study, which include musical tasks, as well as tasks related to other areas of the curriculum, such as English Literature, Art & Design, Physical Education, Maths and History. There are also background notes providing information on the history and social context of the songs, as well as ways to open up discussion on possible meanings and interpretations.
The songs are primarily arranged for unison singing, with some additional vocal or instrumental harmonies, accompaniment chords, as well as suggestions for performance, composition and song re-writing. There are vocal and instrumental sound files to accompany this resource pack. These can be accessed via the EFDSS Resource Bank www.efdss.org/resourcebank.
This resource is one of over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
This pack contains the arrangements of nineteen folk songs collected from Essex. This resource, with the accompanying audio tracks, is freely downloadable from the EFDSS Resource Bank: www.efdss.org/resourcebank.
Due to the great success of the Essex Folk Song Discovery project, delivered in 2016 in seven schools in the Uttlesford region of North West Essex, Essex Music Education Hub further commissioned EFDSS to deliver and extend the project in 2017/18 to three more areas of Essex: Maldon, Clacton and Rayleigh. EFDSS tutors sourced and arranged local coastal themed songs in these areas which were developed to support the Vocal Strategy for school children in Key Stages 2 and 3 across these areas.
Professional folk artists Aimée Leonard, Dave Delarre, Nick Hart and Maz O’Connor sourced songs, collected in Essex in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and arranged them for young voices. They visited each participating school for two days of workshops, teaching a different song in each setting. Performances between schools have taken place in Clacton, Maldon and Rayleigh, with our final school cluster coming together in Canvey Island in March 2018.
This resource is one of over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
The arrangements and dances in this resource were taken from Camden Music Service’s Wider Opportunities (First Access Instrumental) Ceilidh Project which has run over the past few years in association with the English Folk Dance and Song Society. The project provides an opportunity for children to learn ceilidh tunes and the dances that go with them. During the project they are involved as musicians (playing to accompany other children dancing) and as dancers (dancing whilst other children are playing).
Music and dancing in many cultures are considered to be the same thing. Western music has largely lost this link, however ceilidh / country / folk dancing is one of the few ways where this remains and the Ceilidh Project encourages children to re-establish that link. It gives them a chance to play for a purpose, to play with a sense of ensemble and musicality, and to think about a style of music they perhaps haven’t encountered before.
The musical arrangements and dance instructions in the resource are of course equally suitable for beginner level musicians and dancers of any age. This is one of the most positive aspects of folk – it is adaptable and can be accessed and enjoyed by participants of all generations!
This resource is one of over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
www.efdss.org/resourcebank
This resource contains sheet music for two Christmas carols arranged in 3 parts.
Freely downloadable audio recordings of the individual parts and whole arrangements are available at http://efdss.org/efdss-education/resource-bank/resources-and-teaching-tools/2carols-carolyn-robson
The material in this pack grew out of work on The Full English project at Hanham
High School, South Gloucestershire. We worked with students at Key Stages 3
and 4 (11-15 years) in their music lessons and in after school activity. They played
a range of instruments including melodeon, piano accordion and banjo, plus the
school’s tuned percussion and keyboards. The project ended with a performance
as part of The Full English national showcase conference in June 2014.
The Full English was a unique nationwide project unlocking hidden treasures of England’s cultural heritage by making over 58,000 original source documents from 12 major folk collectors available to the world via a ground-breaking nationwide digital archive and learning project. The project was led by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and in partnership with other cultural partners across England.
Folk music has always been remembered and transmitted principally by ear, and
only in recent years has it been played by a significant number of people with
much formal musical training. Consequently there are a huge number of folk
tunes and songs that lend themselves to being taught by ear (and/or by basic
notation) to a mixed-ability group. Folk music has always been music for participants, which means it is a great resource for developing practical musical skills, and is a great starting point for creative music-making with young people.
Audio recordings by Rob Harbon of the pieces provided in this pack are available
for free download from www.efdss.org/resourcebank
This resource is one of over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
This pack brings some background information about coal mining together with songs and poems that can be used in primary schools to explore and analyse the issues surrounding coal mining. It was created by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in partnership with the National Coal Mining Museum for England.
There is a wealth of folk music, song and dance associated with coal mining. The living conditions of mining families also feature in songs, as do tales of child labour and poverty. There are many songs about the different jobs and roles that people had, and sad laments about mining disasters that occurred. There is also the rapper dance tradition that grew from coal mining communities in the North East, and tunes that accompanied the dances.
The material presented in this pack has all been tried and tested with visitors to the National Coal Mining Museum for England, pupils at Flockton C of E (c) First School, Wakefield (thanks to the East Peak Industrial Heritage Support Programme), and also in The Full English school projects at St John with St Mark CofE Primary School, Bury and Shawlands Primary School, Barnsley.
All the material can be used to explore themes of local history, industrial revolution, child labour, poverty and social change. The material is aimed at primary age children and their teachers.
ACCOMPANYING AUDIO TRACKS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE AT http://efdss.org/efdss-education/resource-bank/resources-and-teaching-tools/coal-mining-with-folk-arts-and-poetry
This resource, written by Emmie Ward, is particularly suitable for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEN/D) - including those with learning disabilities and complex needs. It is based on repertoire used during Folk Unlimited, EFDSS’s fortnightly SEN/D folk session, to celebrate May, with audio, notation and notes, using a number of creative elements and communication strategies developed during the project to enable all participants to contribute fully.
In 2019, EFDSS launched Inclusive Folk; a new seven-month pilot project developed to increase access to folk arts opportunities for disabled young people, their friends, family and carers. This project, led by Emmie Ward, with Joe Danks and trainee, Freda D’Souza, was made possible with the generous support of the People’s Postcode Lottery, a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The project included Folk Unlimited, fortnightly Sunday afternoon sessions at Cecil Sharp House, outreach sessions at colleges and settings for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN/D), the creation of this new free learning resource for the EFDSS Resource Bank, and training opportunities for music educators.
This resource is one of over 100 educational materials in the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank of free, downloadable materials. These are designed for you to use in your teaching and learning, incorporating English traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts. They are suitable for use in formal and informal settings including primary, secondary and SEN schools, youth ensembles, community choirs, adult learning and more.
www.efdss.org/resourcebank
This document gives an indication of how folk and traditional music can help teachers enhance and deliver aspects of the National Curriculum for Music in England at Key Stage 1, and suggests a range of supporting resources created by folk artist-educators.
It gives details for Key Stage 1 Music Subject Contents:
Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
Play tuned and untuned instruments musically
Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
This document gives an indication of how folk and traditional music can help teachers enhance and deliver aspects of the National Curriculum for Music in England at Key Stage 3, and suggests a range of supporting resources created by folk artist-educators.
It gives details for Key Stage 3 Music Subject Contents:
Play and perform confidently in a range of solo and ensemble contexts using their voice, playing instruments musically, fluently and with accuracy and expression
Improvise and compose; and extend and develop musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres and traditions
Use staff and other relevant notations appropriately and accurately in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions
Identify and use the inter-related dimensions of music expressively and with increasing sophistication, including use of tonalities, different types of scales and other musical devices
Listen with increasing discrimination to a wide range of music from great composers and musicians
Develop a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history
This video resource has been developed for working with young people with special educational needs and disabilities by EFDSS’ Inclusive Folk tutors, Emmie Ward, Nicholas Goode and Alice Barnard
The videos and the accompanying booklet can be used in online tuition or as an inspiration for in-person classes and workshops. Both songs are traditional English folk songs that have been adapted by the Inclusive Folk team.
The Herring’s Head is a cumulative folk song which can be changed and added to in different ways depending on your group of young people. It is especially suitable as a basis for a sensory session where the different verses can be supported with smell, touch, lights, sounds etc. As a sensory activity, this song will work well for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). You can view download the video from this page, and also download and save it onto your computer – or you can play it on YouTube.
Hopping Down in Kent uses storytelling and acting to develop the song’s lyrics. It deals with the historical practice of Londoners leaving the city for a working holiday in the countryside. The narrators support the storyline with Makaton signs and, if you are streaming the video via YouTube, there is also the option to view the whole text subtitled.
The booklet includes sheet music, lyrics and more information about the songs and suggestions for use.
Important note: this resource contains hyperlinks to digitised versions of original manuscripts and other archival material in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library’s online archive. Please be aware that these historical materials may contain content considered offensive by modern standards. Teachers are advised to check these links before sharing with students as materials may need contextualising.
This resource is created as part of EFDSS’ Inclusive Folk Project, supported by John Lyon’s Charity.
https://www.efdss.org/learning/resources/a-z/55-resources/learning-resources/10329-herrings-and-hops
This resource contains three songs which reflect different aspects of London life, with themes that still have relevance to young people living in big cities today. Londoners have always had a passion for singing and music. From pubs and taverns to concert stages, and from street corners to markets, songs and singing was part of everyday city life.
Written by Emmie Ward, the material is particularly suitable for students with Special Educational Needs andDisabilities (SEN/D) – including those with learning disabilities and complex needs. It is based on repertoire used in our Folk Unlimited workshops exploring the musical traditions of London and includes audio, notation and notes, using a number of creative elements and communication strategies developed during the project to enable all participants to contribute fully.
This resource is part of EFDSS’ Inclusive Folk project (2020-2022) which aims at improving access to folk arts for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The project comprises fortnightly Folk Unlimited music making sessions at Cecil Sharp House, outreach sessions at colleges and settings for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN/D), the creation of free learning resources for the EFDSS Resource Bank, and training opportunities for music educators.
This project, led by Emmie Ward, with Nick Goode and trainee Alice Barnard, was made possible with the generous support of John Lyon’s Charity.
https://www.efdss.org/learning/resources/a-z/55-resources/learning-resources/10248-songs-of-london-life
This new Black History resource written by musician and singer Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, reflects thoughtfully on music-making among enslaved people in former British colonies in the Southern United States and the Caribbean. It explores how songs have been adapted and yet remained very similar across the Atlantic.
Working together with singer Germa Adan and storyteller Alison Solomon, who produced accompanying audio files, Cohen’s resource draws on four songs and stories sung by black singers in these diverse locations and presents them, their history, and creative tasks for young people in secondary education (Key Stage 3 and above).